Classification, labelling, and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures
Do you bring chemical substances and mixtures onto the Dutch market? You must prepare your products properly in order to bring them to market. When doing this, you must keep to the European CLP regulation.
What is the CLP regulation?
CLP stands for Classification, Labelling, and Packaging. Are you a manufacturer, importer, or professional user (downstream user) of chemical substances and mixtures? The CLP regulation describes how you should classify, label, and package these substances and mixtures according to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). As a result employees and consumers in the EU will have clear information on the hazards of chemical substances and mixtures.
Bring chemical substances and mixtures on the market
According to the CLP regulation, substances and mixtures that you bring to the market must be:
- classified: you have to determine the hazards of the substance or mixture (for example, flammable, toxic, or irritating)
- labelled: you must ensure that the product is labelled correctly with hazard symbols and warning phrases
- packaged: you must ensure that the packaging is safe and remains intact
Duty to report
As a manufacturer or importer of chemical substances, you have a duty to report. You must report the classification and labelling of chemical substances via the REACH-IT portal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The chemical substance will then be included in the C&L inventory. You must submit your report within 1 month of putting the chemical substance on the market.
Product information for mixtures
Do you supply chemical mixtures? You must provide product information for mixtures classified as hazardous. The information concerns, for example, the composition, hazard classification, product category, and the unique formula identifier (UFI) of the mixture. You must submit this via the ECHA online portal. You should use the Poison Centre Notification (PCN) format for this.
The National Poisons Information Centre (Nationaal Vergiftigingen Informatie Centrum, NVIC, in Dutch) uses your information to quickly inform medical aid workers about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of acute poisoning with hazardous substance.